‘Sixth power cut since morning, I'm counting’; CPM leader thanks generator at Kasaragod meet to take dig at CM
During a CPM meeting in Kasaragod, a power cut interrupted A Vijayaraghavan’s speech, prompting him to mock the government’s handling of electricity issues, while an opposition MLA separately petitioned the minister over outages.
During a CPM meeting in Kasaragod, a power cut interrupted A Vijayaraghavan’s speech, prompting him to mock the government’s handling of electricity issues, while an opposition MLA separately petitioned the minister over outages.
During a CPM meeting in Kasaragod, a power cut interrupted A Vijayaraghavan’s speech, prompting him to mock the government’s handling of electricity issues, while an opposition MLA separately petitioned the minister over outages.
Kasaragod: Just a day after the LDF’s adjournment motion accusing the V D Satheesan government of mishandling Kerala’s power situation backfired in the Assembly, the CPM got a second opportunity to take a swipe at the UDF. On Thursday, a power cut interrupted Politburo member A Vijayaraghavan’s inaugural address at the party’s expanded Kasaragod district committee meeting, handing him a live example to pin the blame on the UDF.
Vijayaraghavan was speaking about the resistance against the British, the Emergency and the first BJP government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee when a power cut silenced his microphone. “No matter who attempts to destroy the values upheld by the freedom fighters…” Vijayaraghavan was saying when the power went off, plunging the AKG Convention Hall into darkness and silencing his microphone.
A minute later, the generator kicked in, the microphone came alive, and so did the CPM leader’s sarcasm. “Thank the generator. After coming to Kasaragod in the morning, this is the sixth power cut. I have been counting since morning,” he said, drawing laughter from the party delegates.
P Jayarajan, seated on the dais, chipped in: “We have been suffering since last night.”
Vijayaraghavan continued: “The power kept going, so I thought, let me count. It will go again. Never mind. Because the state is progressing under V D Satheesan’s leadership. Let’s all bear it.”
Vijayaraghavan, however, soon returned to the speech he had been making when the lights went out. “The situation we are facing today is so serious that we have even begun to wonder whether the strength of popular resistance has weakened,” he said. He then drew hope from the resistance emerging across the country now and said it was "comparable to the freedom struggle".
The two-day meeting, being held at CPM's District Committee Office in Vidyanagar on October 15 and 16, is "not examining the reasons for the party’s electoral setback" but exploring how to take the party forward in the future, said the party.
The discussions will continue on Friday, followed by a rally expected to draw 25,000 people.
Kasaragod MLA petitions power minister
Meanwhile, Kasaragod MLA and IUML district president Kallatra Mahin submitted a petition to Electricity Minister Sunny Joseph in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday seeking a solution to frequent night-time power cuts in areas under the Kasaragod, Cherkala and Nellikkunnu electricity section offices.
In his petition, the MLA pointed out that unannounced and intermittent power cuts have caused considerable hardship to students, patients and senior citizens, affecting their daily lives, studies and healthcare.
While officials attribute the outages to technical issues, a permanent solution is essential, Mahin said.
The MLA also urged the minister to approve works worth ₹439.51 crore proposed under the power package submitted for Kasaragod district. If the package is approved, it would help improve the district's power distribution infrastructure and address problems faced by consumers.